Jump ropes hang on the Hawthorn Hall sign on the front patio during the "Patio Pride" celebration on Hawthorn's front patio on April 11, 2018. (Photo Editor/Nicole Mingo)

Pride Week at Rowan is being celebrated today with another event dedicated to open dialogue and spreading awareness.

This afternoon, the “Patio Pride Celebration” welcomed students to Hawthorn Hall’s front-patio to play games, meet club organizers and have some free snacks. Organizations like SJICR, Prism, Queering Multicultural Inclusion and True Colors held tables full of information on gender, sex, identity and counseling services.

Flora Ruli, Graduate Coordinator of LGBTQIA+ and Inclusion Programs, helped put the event together and watched as students streamed in and out of the event.

“For us the importance of Pride, coming through the LGBT Center and co-sponsoring with all the student organizations we have…truly helps create inclusion on campus,” Ruli said.

“Being able to advertise it in different ways, like this event, as well as in the beginning of the week when we lit up Bunce…it really shows Rowan University’s dedication to inclusion.”

Pride Week continues tomorrow with “Queering Futurity: Putting Intersectionality into Paxis” and a clothing swap sponsored by True Colors. The week ends with a brunch dedicated to the LGBTQIA community here on campus, a movie night sponsored by oSTEM and “Love Wins” sponsored by Hillel to highlight the intersection of faith and the LGBTQIA+ community.